Step 1 of 4

Infuse the milk with the stripped cobs

Snap the bare cobs in half, put them in a pan with the milk and the bay leaf, bring to a bare simmer and leave for 20 minutes. Lift the cobs out, scraping them against the side of the pan as you go.

— Scraping the cob releases a cloudy, starchy liquid that thickens the chowder and tastes intensely of corn. It is the best part of the vegetable and it usually goes in the bin.